Accidental Healing
by well.scrubbed.rube
Summary: Samantha Brodie is an Army veteran now working at Baltimore State Hospital. PTSD makes life hard, but with the help of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, will it get easier?
1. Chapter 1

I own nothing (besides my own characters) T.H. is the man!

CHAPTER 1

A slight squeal accompanied the brakes as the Ford F-150 came to a halt in front of Baltimore State Forensic Hospital. Behind the wheel, Samantha Brodie took a deep, shaking breath in a vain attempt to calm herself. Adjusting the rearview mirror, she caught a glimpse of her face. Sam was never a pale person. Even from being inside a military hospital for close to 7 months, she still looked slightly tan. Her black bangs swooped over her brow, more so to the left side of her face. Brushing back the hair, it revealed the 4 inch scar that ran right down the middle of her left eye brow. Letting out a long sigh, she brushed her hair back over the scar. Before getting out of the truck, she looked down to the dash and gazed upon the picture of a young soldier staring back at her. With a sad smile, the door was opened and Sam stepped out.

The grey sky clashed with the red brick of BSFH. Rain threatened to start to come down any minute as Sam quickly entered the glass doors. The inside looked as you would expect any hospital to look. White walls with grey tile floors and black chairs lining the walls to make up a small waiting area. It was quiet save the buzzing of an old Coke machine. She approached the reception desk with her best smile. The young woman behind the counter was too busy on her cell phone to notice. Sam cleared her throat to announce her being there. With a huff, the girl put down her phone.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes, my name is Samantha Brodie. I have a meeting with a Dr. Chilton?"

The girl looked at a small clip board on the side of her desk and picked up the phone.

"Yes sir, Dr. Chilton? Samantha Brodie is here for a meeting? Yes sir, I'll send her through."

As the woman returned the phone to the cradle, she looked up at Sam.

"Just follow the hall and take a right at the end. Dr. Chilton will be the 3rd door on the right."

With a nod, Sam began her way down towards Dr. Chilton's office. When she was 10 feet from the door, a sickly sweet smell of cheap cologne flooded her nostrils. The smell was so strong, it made her eyes water as she came closer to the open door. With 3 light taps on the door frame, a small face peered from behind a computer screen.

"Ms. Brodie, I take it?"

As Sam walked in, she stood in front of Dr. Chilton's desk. The lights in the office gave Chilton's red hair a greasy shine as he smiled a sly smile.

"Yes, sir. We spoke a few days ago about the nursing job."

"Quite right. From your resume, you seem more than qualified. 7 years as an Army medic?"

As Dr. Chilton spoke, the perversion in his words turned her stomach. Sam had a way of reading people that she never fully understood. She could tell what kind of person someone really was by observing their body language and the manner they carried themselves. Sam knew right away, Dr. Chilton was not to be trusted.

"Yes sir, that's correct."

"You recently where medically discharged, is that right?"

As he said this, Sam's heart began to race. The discharge was not something she wished to discus with anyone, especially not him.

"There was an attack on the hospital wing I was assigned. I was put into a medically induced coma for 6 weeks. I'm really not comfortable discussing this, if you don't mind Dr. Chilton."

A sly smile once again played across Chilton's face and Sam could see with mischief bouncing around in his cold, dark eyes.

"I need to know that your mental state is not going to be an issue here."

Rage began to build in the back of Sam's mind as she listened to Chilton's condescending tone towards her. It was well know that PTSD was an issue for a lot of soldiers finding work. She had refused any thearapy that the military offered. She had never been one to cry about life's problems to strangers, or anyone for that matter. Sam had always been one to bottle things up.

"Dr. Chilton, I can assure you, there would be no problems at all. My mental health is sound as a pound."

After a few more minutes of useless questions and uncomfortable moments of being eyed by her soon to be new boss, Sam was ready to get out and away from him. Suddenly, Dr. Chilton opened a drawer on his desk and pulled out a small photograph.

"This was our last nurse- the one you will be replacing."

He slid the paper towards Sam. As she looked at it, she saw an older lady, probably around 40 years old, laying on the ground with her face covered in blood. She observed the picture for a few seconds and turned her attention back towards Dr. Chilton. Seeing how the picture yielded no response from her, He scowled. Sam figured he used this as a scare tactic or a bragging token. Seeing blood never bothered her in the past. She had seen her fair share over her career in the Army. What Dr. Chilton didn't know was how hard she had to keep her resolve and show no emotion when she looked at the picture. She knew he wanted to see a negative reaction, that way he could tell her that she wasn't fit for this job. Ever since the attack, seeing blood, along with any loud noises brought back very unpleasant memories.

"That there was the handy work of our very own celebrity- Dr. Hannibal 'the Cannibal' Lecter."

Sam had heard the name before over the years but knew nothing much about the man. As she slid the picture back towards Chilton, she smirked and looked into his eyes.

"I guess I will just have to pay more attention than she did."

As Chilton's face turned slightly red, she smiled inwardly to herself.

"Well." He said shortly, "I guess you have the job. If you'd like, I could have you meet with your supervisor and he could give you a rundown of how things are done here."

"I think that would be wise. Thank you, sir."

Picking up his phone, Dr. Chilton handed her a visitor's pass. "Barney, I'm sending down the new nurse. She needs a quick rundown of our procedures here and a tour." As he hung up the phone, he stood from his desk and motioned towards the door. "Keep going down this hall until you come to a stair well. 3 flights down, you will come to a red security gate. You will see Barney there. I look forward to working with you, Ms. Brodie." He smiled and extended a hand. With a queasy stomach, Sam took it and gave a firm handshake while keeping eye contact.

"Thank you, Dr. Chilton. I look forward to it as well."


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

With the lack of windows, the decent down the 3 flights of stairs gave the lower ward a dark, intimidating look. The smell of stale urine and mold made the air dank and hard to breathe.

As Sam approached the red security gate, she noticed a tall, black man standing from within, looking over a clip board. the man looked to be be 6'5-6'7 and had very broad shoulders. Sam thought he may have missed a chance to be a football star. Upon further observation, she spotted his name tag and learned that this man was indeed, Barney.

Once she closed the remaining distance between herself and the gate, Barney looked up and smiled. He reached to his left and pushed a button on the wall. With a shrill buzz, the gate was unlocked, allowing Barney to push it open.

"You must be Samantha. I'm Barney Matthews. It's a pleasure to meet you." He extended a hand, and Sam took it without hesitation. Barney's huge hands swallowed Sam's smaller ones.

"It's nice to meet you as well. Please, if you don't mind, just call me Sam... Samantha is a little too formal."

"Of course. So, Dr. Chilton tells me you were in the military. I did 3 years in the Marine Corps myself. It wasn't really my thing, so to speak."

"Yes, 7 years in the Army. I'd still be in if it wasn't for the medical discharge..."

Sam stopped herself abruptly as she realized she was speaking of the military so freely with someone she just met. It must have been the fact that Barney served in th military as well. No matter what branch, or how long they served, soldiers all shared a specific bond with one another.

Luckily, Barney seemed to notice Sam's reluctance to continue conversation on the topic and quickly changed it.

"So, do you have any questions or concerns about our program here?" Barney had stepped away from the doorway in order to allow Sam to pass into the guard station.

The room was small. Just large enough to give 2, maybe 3 people enough space to comfortably move around among one another. To the right, on a grey counter running the entire length of the wall, were TV screens. Patients in their cells, laying down or staring blankley off into space filled the montiors. Sam noticed, out of the 15 screens, 5 of them showed the same man. The man was sitting in his cell, at a desk, reading a book.

As Sam continued to observe her new work space, she noticed a small, seperate room to the left. Various non-lethal weapons covered most of the wall, along with several pistols and other firearms. Sam continued to look at the wall when something caught her attention. A horrific, brown hockey mask sat on the wall by itself. It reminded her of something she once saw in a horror movie.

Barney caught her gazing at the horrific mask and sighed. "Yea, it's pretty wicked looking, isnt it?"

Hearing Barney's voice snapped Sam back into reality as she looked to him with questions burning in her pale, grey eyes.

Barney slightly nodded his head, acknowleging that he saw the unspoken question in Sam's eyes. "That is for Dr. Hannibal Lecter. He is our most dangerous patient..." Barney trailed off and looked over to the mask and then back to Sam. "Did Dr. Chilton tell you about him?" As he spoke, he gestured towards the montiors that showed the man reading a book.

Remembering how Dr. Chilton flaunted the picture of the previous nurse, made Sam grit her teeth.

"He didn't tell me much, but he made damn sure to show me his trophy picture he keeps in his desk."

Barney shook his head and scoffed. "He shows everone that damn picture. I'm pretty sure he carries one around in his wallet as well, that way he can show off his pet to anyone, even if he isnt in the office. He likes the think he was the one who caught Dr. Lecter, likes to brag about keeping such a _monster_ off the streets.

Listening to Barney speak, Sam could tell she wasn't the only one with a low opinion of Chilton. The thought made her smile slightly. She would get along great with her new supervisor.

"So, what did the guy do? What makes him so dangerous?"

After Barney finished telling Sam of Dr. Lecter's previous exploits, she looked wide-eyed over to the monitor screens. Knowing the man sitting in his cell, reading a book, looking quite normal was indeed, a cannibalistic serial killer, truly baffled Sam.

"He just seems so... Harmless. I would have pictured someone that looked like Mr. Hyde or something. I mean look at him! He is reading a book!"

This caused Barney to laugh out loud. "Well, I'll take you to meet him and we will see if you still hold the opinion of Dr. Lecter being _normal_. One piece of advice: Dr. Lecter has been known to break people down within mintues of meeting him. If things get ugly, don't take it to heart- he is very bored in here. Just mind your manners, he hates the rude."

Sam nodded her understanding as she looked back at the monitors one last time. Barney opened the security gate that lead out into the ward and she followed him out.

As the two made their way down the dim hallway, Barney casually explained the patients and various procedures used to correctly handle them.

Sam managed to keep her eyes forward, ignoring various demeaning and sexual insults thrown her way from some of the inmates. She was careful to stay in the middle of the hall, keeping out of reach from the hands clawing at her as she passed the barred cells.

As the pair neared the end of the hallway, Sam noticed the last cell on the left, was not barred like the rest. Instead, she noticed it was covered by a wall of glass. She looked at Barney, who gave her an affirming nod, stating that that was indeed their destination.

To her own suprise, felt her heart rate increase as she came closer to the cell.

Dr. Lecter had been reading his book for a while. Footsteps in the distance drew his attention from his reading. One pair of the footsteps, he was familiar with. The accompaning pair, however, were new. The speed at which the footsteps traveled, in order to keep up with the longer strides of Barney's, were slightly faster. Shorter legs, no doubt. He also noticed the sound was slightly softer as well. The companion was female.

Before stepping in front of the glass, Sam took a deep breath. Slightly calming herself, she looked at Barney and nodded.

The first thing she noticed, when viewing the cell, was the artwork that decorated the pale, off white walls. Photographs of older buildings and breathtaking landscapes donned the walls of the cell. Sam thought they looked like photos one would see in some fancy art gallery.

The furniture in the cell was the same that the other inmates had in theirs. The only thing extra was the small, metal desk and chair.

It hadn't even dawned on Sam that she hadn't even noticed the man sitting behind the desk, right in front of her, with his face buried behind a book.

Dr. Lecter smiled to himself from behind the book. No longer reading, all of his attention was now on Barney and the unknown woman standing in front of him.

Sam looked over to Barney with confusion in her eyes. She had no idea on how to correctly get the man's attention, and not come across rude by doing it, as Barney had earlier suggested. Barney noticed the trouble she was having and took control.

"Good morning, Dr. Lecter. I trust you are having a pleasant day so far?"

As Dr. Lecter closed the book in front of his face, Sam felt the calmess she had aquired earlier, quickly leave her as Dr. Lecter's eyes immediatly found hers. She understood right away, just how wrong she was earlier about Dr. Lecter seeming harmless. There was a very prominent danger lurking in his eyes. In all of her life, with all of her travels, she had never seen eyes like these. Dark maroon pools with pupils as black as sin stared into her own. Dark hair, slicked back over his head reflected slightly under the florecent lights.

"Well, Barney, my day is as fine as it can be, considering the quality of my stay in this fine institue." His voice was very different. Raspy with a coldness to it.

As he answered Barney's question, his eyes never left Sam. Before Barney could reply, Dr. Lecter interjected quickly.

"I see we have a guest, Barney. Would you be so kind as to make proper introductions, since it seems she is unable to do so herself?"

Sam felt as if her heart dropped down to her stomach. She had never had a problem speaking to strangers in the past. It dawned on her that she had never met a cannibal, serial killer in the past, either.

Dr. Lecter watched Sam carefully, studying her body language. He noticed when he made the comment about introductions, her heart rate increased. To his suprise, it wasnt from fear. Fear was usually the only emotion he was use to recieving from people. Even Barney, who he regarded as his friend, held a small amount of fear in his body launguage. The woman standing in front of him, however, showed something, but it wasnt fear. Dr. Lecter found himself shocked when he couldn't place the emotion.

Taking a deep breath and never losing eye contact, Sam introduced herself. "Hello, Dr. Lecter, I'm sorry about the hesitation eariler. My name is Sam. Sam Brodie and I'm the new nurse."

Dr. Lecter smirked slightly at Sam before turning his attention towards Barney. With a slight nod of the head, Barney turned to Sam, "I'm going to leave you two to talk for a bit. If you need anything, just wave at one of the cameras." With an encouraging pat on the shoulder, he made his way back towards the nursing station.

Sam was careful to keep her nerves in check as Barney left her alone with Dr. Lecter. Feeling this was somekind of test, a judge of character, she turned back to Dr. Lecter, who had stood from his desk, and was now standing in the middle of his cell. She watched as his eyes slowly travelled among her body. Instead of feeling repulsed, as she did earlier with Dr. Chilton, Sam found herself curious as to what the man was thinking. The way in which he searched her body with his eyes was not sexual. It seemed if he was studying her, looking for clues to tell him things about herself that Sam would not.

Suddenly, Dr. Lecter's eyes returned back to hers with a snap. "So, Sam, is it? I feel Sam is short for Samantha, is that correct?" His head tilted slightly to the left as she spoke, reminding Sam of an over curious dog.

"Yes, that is correct."

Dr. Lecter hummed softly. "Tell me, Ms. Brodie, how long have you been out of the military?" Satisfaction surged through his system watching Sam squirm uncomfortably , realising he was indeed, correct with his oberservation.

"How did you know-"

"I'm very good at reading people, Ms. Brodie. Your body lauguage , the way you carry yourself practically reeks of years worth of military training."

Sam looked down towards the floor and sighed, "I've been out of the Army for close to a year now."

"I see. Since you are now the new nurse, I assume it's safe to say you were trained in the medical field as well?"

"Correct again, Dr. Lecter. Operating room nurse."

Dr. Lecter smiled as he stepped towards the glass. Sam noticed his teeth were bright and almost perfectly straight. As he moved closer, she had to resist the urge to move forwards and backwards all at the same time.

"I would like to know your opinion of Dr. Frederick Chilton. I'm sure he gave a most amusing interview."

Sam felt her stomach turn hearing the name. Her brows furrowed as she looked to the left, up the hallway towards the guard station before returning her gaze back to Dr. Lecter. Not wanting to get herself in trouble by gossiping over her new boss, before her first day, with an inmate, Sam settled for a small smirk and a small shake of her head. This spoke loud and clear to Dr. Lecter. Understanding Sam's gesture, he hummed his approval.

Wanting to change the subject, she gestured towards the pictures on the walls.

"Those are really beautiful. I'm suprized that you were allowed to bring them here."

Dr. Lecter regarded her before turning his own attention to the pictures himself. "Well, they are certaintly not my best, but considering the lack of proper drawing materials, they turned out rather good." When he turned back to her, he smiled.

"You mean, you drew all of these?" Sam's eyes grew wide as she stepped forwards towards the glass, in order to see the drawings better. This did not go unnoticed by Dr. Lecter.

"I did indeed. Since I will never see any of these places again, and since I have no view, I created my own."

Sam's attention was brought back to Dr. Lecter as he spoke. "So these were all drawn without reference?"

"Mmhmm"

"But how-"

"Memory, Ms. Brodie. Instead of having a view, I have resorted to using memories of my favorite places, in order to create my own."

Sam felt a twinge of pitty for the man standing in front of her. His words hit her like a hammer, stopping all of her other thoughts. Hannibal Lecter, the notorious serial killer, would never again breathe fresh air, feel the warmth of the sun on his skin, or gaze at the night sky, for the rest of his life.

With a quick glance to her wrist watch, she realized she had been speaking with Dr. Lecter now for over 10 mintues. Once she looked back over to him, she noticed his eyes never left her. Did this man ever blink?

"I really hate to be rude, Dr. Lecter, but I've been down here for a while now. I really should get back."

Dr. Lecter slowly closed his eyes and tilted his head forward. "Very understandable, Ms. Brodie. 10 minutes alone with the _monster_ , by yourself, before your first day? Tounges will wag."

With a slight chuckle, Sam smiled as she spoke, "Yes. Can't have anyone thinking you are getting special treatment." Sam looked down to the floor for a few seconds before returning her attention back to him. "It was very..." Sam paused, trying to figure out the word to use. It wasn't exactly _nice_ or _pleasurable_ meeting him. She felt rather uncomfortable while they spoke, but at the same time, she found herself hanging on to every word he spoke with rapt attention.

Dr. Lecter noticed her pause and raised a questioning eyebrow as she awaited Sam's responce. With any other person, he would have used this moment of uncertainty to rip them apart. This wasn't the case with the woman standing before him now. With the small converstaion the two held, he observed that she didn't give the answers everyone expected to hear; that he expected to hear. She wasn't afraid to give her true opinion, but remained polite and courtious while doing so.

Sam saw Dr. Lecter begin to smirk at her, knowing the trouble she was having coming up with the correct and polite way to describe meeting him.

"Interesting. It's been very interesting speaking with you, Dr. Lecter."

Relief washed over her as she watched his smirk grow into a smile.

"It was interesting meeting you as well, Ms. Brodie. I think dear old Dr. Chilton actually used the right head, so to speak, when he picked you." With a smile and a wink, "See you around, _Nurse_ Brodie."


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry for the delay, guys! The real world has been crazy here lately... Anyways, here is the next chapter! Thanks for reading! Please ignore any grammar or spelling mistakes...

It had become eerily quiet. The screams once resonating from the young man before, had now, ceased to exist. No doubt, he had passed out from the adrenaline and pain. Sam moved quickly and without hesitation. From the steady stream of dark, thick blood coming from his right leg, she knew the femoral artery had been severed. As her assistiant cut the pants from around the gaping wound, a spray of warmth hit her face. The taste of blood began to gag her as she continued. There was no time to wait for the surgeon, as he was working on another soldier that had been brought in at the same time. With her left hand, Sam applied pressure to the left side of the wound, widening it enough to allow room for her right hand to reach in and find the artery. The slickness of the blood made this impossible, rendering Sam unable to work alone. As she looked to the nurse beside her, the young woman joined in. As the nurse used both hands to open the wound, Sam grabbed a pair of hemostats and placed them between her teeth. Suddenly, the young man awoke with an ear piercing scream as Sam's hands entered the wound. The torn and shredded muscle from the mans thigh moved lightly around her wrists as she searched for the pulse from the artery. The screaming became quiet once more, after a few seconds, much to Sam's relief. With a quick glance up to the man's face, she saw how young he was. No older than twenty years old, his face was colored darkly from blood and dirt. The only light colors standing out were from the white teeth peaking out from behind partially open lips; and the whites of his eyes, now rolled to the back of his head. Finally, Sam felt what she had been searching for. The faint thump-thump from the heartbeat coursing through the artery vibrated through her finger-tips. Grabbing the two inch long peice of meat proved difficult, when covered in hot, slippery blood. As Sam managed to get a proper hold of it, with her left hand, she removed the hemostats from her mouth. With steady hands, and slow breaths, the artery was clamped off, stopping the blood flow. Relief washed over her to see the mans blood pressure slowly begin to climb from the dangerously low point it was at. As Sam looked up towards the rest of the hospital, dread twisted her insides. Blood flowed freely from the gurneys that lay in front of her. The concrete floor of the small hospital wing was now colored a deep maroon. Two gurneys infront of her, she saw the head surgeon adamantly giving CPR to another soldier. Slowly, he stopped. With dread in his eyes, he looked over to Sam and shook his head. Of the five souls that entered the hospital, only one had survived. Continuing to look at the carnage around her, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Upon turning around, she met the kind, green eyes of Matthew Davis. No words were exchanged between the two at first; Matt just pulled Sam into an embrace. His Army fatigues smelled of gunpowder, smoke and blood. His face was covered with smut and dirt like the others. Matt broke the embrace but still kept his hands on Sam's shoulders as he looked into her eyes.

"You ok?"

"Yea, I'll be fine." Sam looked over to the four gurneys now holding lifeless bodys.

Matt gave her a quick shake. "Hey, don't do that to yourself. You did all you could."

"It obviously wasn't enough..."

Before Sam could finish, she was interrupted by a faint whistling sound in the distance. It seemed as if an eternity passed in her head as she tried to decide what the sound was. Everything was quiet, almost as if time had stopped.

Matt's head had turned to face the sound. When he turned back to Sam, his bright green eyes were filled with pure fear.

"EVERYONE GET DOWN, NOW!"

With a loud and painful crash, Sam snapped awake as she landed on the floor. Tangled in her sheets and drenched from sweat, she climbed up and sat on the edge of her bed. Running her fingers through her hair, she looked over to her alarm clock. 03:24 glowed in bright red. She had been asleep for three hours. With a frustrated grunt, she stood from the bed and moved to the small bathroom, connected to her bedroom.

The cool water running over her body helped lower her body temperature and eventually the sweating ceased. It took a few minutes for the phantom taste and smell of blood to diminish.

This was almost an every night occurence. If it wasn't a dream about the attack, it would be some other horror her mind conjured up to haunt her from the past. Some terrible memory of a soul she didn't save, or the blood curdling screams from the ones she did.

After her cold shower, Sam moved downstairs. As she moved past the TV, she turned it on. Rifle fire and loud explosion sounds emitted from some old war movie that was playing on the movie channel she last watched. Quickly, she grabbed the remote and changed the channel. The local news station was playing a re-run of a college basketball game. Sam flopped on the couch and mindlessly stared at the TV.

An hour passed before she moved. Moving into the kitchen, she flipped on the light switch, which caused her a moment of temporary blindness. As her eyes slowly adjusted, she opened her cabinent and prepared her morning coffee.

The small, two story apartment was nothing special. The downstairs contained a living room, big enough for a couch and recliner, as well as a small kitchen. Once the coffee pot beeped, signaling the end of the coffee cycle, Sam fixed her coffee. Moving back upstairs, she made her way over to the sliding door that led to an outside balcony.

The balcony was the one part of the apartment Sam was thankful for. Facing East, it gave view to beautiful sunrises. Sitting down with her coffee, the sky was still black from the night. As she watched, a faint orange glow appeared at the horizon. As Sam sipped her coffee, she watched the rising sun paint the dark night sky with orange and pink hues. Sunrises always brought her a small portion of peace. As she watched this work of art create itself in front of her, Sam's mind wandered in to unfamiliar territory. Pictures of beautiful landscapes and buildings flooded her mind as she remembered Dr. Lecter's cell. _'I bet he would kill to see this right now...'_ She felt a twinge of pitty as she remembered he would never witness a sunrise like this, ever again.

Getting into her truck, dressed and ready for work in her black scrubs, her eyes fell upon the photo sitting on her dash. The familiar green eyes, from the dream, stared back into her own.

As Sam approached Dr. Chilton's office, she was pleased to find the door shut, with no light shining through the crack at the bottom. She was in no mood to try and hold a conversation with an egotistical, conniving boss this morning.

Down in the lower-ward, Sam found Barney, once again, looking over his clip board. As he opened the gate to allow her to enter, he greeted her with a welcoming smile.

"Good morning, Sam. You drink coffee?" He gestured over to a small coffee pot sitting on one of the counters.

With a smile, Sam moved over to the counter and proceeded to fix a cup.

"So, what's the first part of my daily tasks?"

Barney handed her a roster with all of the patients names and info.

"You can start by doing the morning rounds. Just do a walk-through and check that all the patients are in their cells and alive. Not that we expect anything to be amiss, its just standard procedure."

With a loud, shrill buzz, the security gate opened, allowing Sam to exit the station. She jumped slightly as the gate slammed shut behind her. Without Barney, the ward seemed much, much more intimidating.

Passing the cells, most of the inmates were still sleeping. The few who were awake, watched her pass infront of their cells with malace and hate in their eyes. Some even reached out towards her, the same as the day before.

Dr. Lecter was awake and alert, sitting on the side of his bunk. The sound of footsteps drew his attention away from one of his drawings on the wall.

As Sam stepped in front of the cell, she was met with the penetrating gaze of Dr. Lecter. She watched a smirk spread across his lips as he slowly stood and moved towards the glass.

"Good morning, Dr. Lecter." Sam inwardly cursed as her voice cracked as she spoke.

"Good morning to you as well, nurse Brodie. Taking the usual rounds this morning? I trust all is sound?"

"Very much so. Most of the inmates are still sleeping."

"Pity. I could use some excitement. It is rather dull, day after day, sitting here, watching the paint chip away from the walls."

A few minutes of silence passed as Dr. Lecter waited for Sam's reply. As he came to the conclusion that she had nothing to say, he decided to change the topic. As he looked into Sam's eyes, he noticed how they were slightly blood-shot and dark circles had formed under them.

"It seems you didn't sleep very well last night. Something on your mind?"

Sam let out a long sigh as she looked down at her clip board to avoid his gaze.

"I'm a bit of an insomniac sometimes." Her answer was short and blunt.

Dr. Lecter could tell he was pushing his way down a path that Sam didn't like to travel down. A smile crossed his face as he decided to press on.

"But it's not _just_ insomnia, is it? Something in your head keeps you up. What is it? Dreams?"

Anger flashed in Sam's eyes as she looked back towards Dr. Lecter. No one had ever so bluntly made conclusions to her sleepless nights and it enraged her that this man, who knew nothing about her, seemed to know everything.

Amusement sparked inside Dr. Lecter as he savored Sam's reaction. He knew he was right and decided to keep pushing.

"You know, you should really talk to someone about these dreams you have. It's not good for ones mental health to keep these things locked up."

Sam remained silent as she stared into Dr. Lecter's maroon eyes. Heat was rising up her neck, causing her face to flush.

"You know," Dr. Lecter nonchalantly looked down to his finger nails as if looking for dirt. "I once had a very sucessful practice of my own. I think it would be good for both of us, if you would accept my help."

As he said this, Sam scoffed. "You, are a very bold man, Dr. Lecter. I appreciate the offer, but I must politely decline."

A frown spread across Dr. Lecter's face as his voice dropped to an icy hiss. "You can't run away from this. One day, it will break from within the walls that keep it at bay, and it will slowly begin to consume you and everyone you hold dear. I've seen it happen many, many times."

Silence passed for a beat before Sam looked down to the floor. Dr. Lecter's words cut deep- so deep, tears stung her eyes, threatening to fall. As she looked back at Dr. Lecter, he had a wry smirk playing across his lips. He thought he'd won. Thought that he had broken her and was waiting to claim his prize.

"You are right. It will consume me. Hell, that's already begun. I live my life day by day, thinking about how broken I've become. How fucked-up in the head I've become. But you know what? I lock that shit down, square myself away, and move the fuck on. I keep keeping on. It's all I can do."

She paused to take a shuddering breath before continuing.

"I don't feel like speaking to someone I don't know from Adam, or doesn't know the first fucking thing about me will help. So, as I said earlier. I must decline."

Before Dr. Lecter could get out a word, Sam turned on her heels and strode off.

' _Mighty bold, Ms. Brodie. Mighty bold indeed_.' Dr. Lecter smiled as he shook his head and sat down behind his desk. ' _This will be quiet the challenge_.'

Sam arrived home from the hospital around 6. As soon as she walked inside, she hung up her keys and kicked off her shoes. Dr. Lecter's voice echoed through her head. ' _It will slowly begin to consume you and everyone you hold dear_.' "If you only fucking knew, Dr. Lecter... If you only knew." Sam headed up the stairs leading to her bedroom.

Upon entering her room, she moved towards her closet and opened it. Military uniforms took up most of the space, limiting the amount of civilian clothes to a few shirts and a couple pair of jeans. Bending down towards the floor, her hands felt the cool metal of an old, green ammo can. With a small grunt, she lifted it and made her way over to her bed. As she sat down, she placed the box on the floor between her legs and opened the lid. The box was filled to the top with old pictures and other trinkets. The first thing that caught her eye was a small black box. Upon opening it, she was staring at her Purple Heart Medal. The engraving on the back was short and to the point. _'On behalf of the United States Government, we would like to thank you for your commitment and sacrifice to your country_.' Sam sat flipping the coin around in her hands for a few minutes before returning it back into the box. Almost out of reflex, her hand made it's way up to the scar above her eyebrow. As she was preparing to put the ammo can back into the closet, a small red photo album caught her eye. As she retrieved it, she laid back on her bed as she began to flip through the pictures.

Sam was taken back in time to her earlier days in the Army. Pictures of her standing on the inside of a Blackhawk helicopter, in mid-flight, smiling like a devil. Another picture showed her and the rest of her platoon doing push-ups, without a doubt being punished because of someones fuck up. As Sam flipped through the pictures, she found herself smiling and laughing at all of the memories.

Suddenly, the laughter ended and the smile faded as she came to a picture of her and Matt. They were 7 years younger, standing beside each other with their arms draped around one another, smiling into the camera. Sam could remember this moment like it was yesterday. It was the day they graduated basic training. She ran her fingers over Matt's face as tears began flowing from her eyes.

With dried tears stiff on her cheeks, Sam stood and walked down to the kitchen. Upon opening the freezer, it was bare besides a few bags of frozen vegetables and to her relief, a bottle of Tullamore Dew Whiskey.

A few hours later, she had polished off the bottle and was fully ossified. In times like these, Sam's mind was her greatest enemy. Alcohol was the only weapon she possessed that had any effect in silencing her thoughts for a while.

Standing from the table she was sitting at proved to be quite the challenge. After a few feeble attempts, she was up and moving towards the stairs. _"It will consume you! pfft. Consume this, Dr. Lecter._ " Once Sam reached the stairs, she realized her mistake. Getting drunk downstairs, when her bed was upstairs was a bad idea. Taking a deep breath, she took the first step. Not feeling the hard wood from the stairs under her feet, she knew what was coming. With a loud thud, her right eye met with the railing of the stair case. At this point, Sam was thankful for the brown water flowing through her veins, as she hardly felt the impact. "Goddamn fucking bullshit ass bitch!" The air was fillled with slurred lines of colorful language as she vented her frustrations.

Not trusting herself to try the stairs a second time, she decided to sleep it off on the couch. As she drifted to sleep, Sam was thankful that the copious amount of alcohol allowed her to fall into an immediate, drunken slumber.


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh wow, Sam! What happened to you?" Barney's eyes were wide with concern as he looked at Sam's gruesome black eye.

"I'm fine, Barney. I got up last night to use the bathroom and walked right into the door frame. I guess I should start turning on some lights, huh?" Sam despised lying about anything, but she really didn't feel like explaining to her supervisor how she got ripped the night before and fell on the stairs.

"I'd say so! That's a pretty good shiner." He turned to the mini fridge and grabbed a frozen bottle of water. "Here", he gestured toward her face. "It will hopefully help with the swelling."

Sam placed the bottle to her eye and winced. "Thank you, Barney." It was all she could do to manage a fake smile.

"I'll let you nurse that a little bit before you make your rounds."

' _Shit_ '. Dread hit Sam as realized she would have to confront Dr. Lecter. ' _Oh, that sonuvabitch is gonna eat this shit up…_ ' As she sat thinking of a way to explain her current situation without him picking her story apart, a thought occurred to her. ' _I don't have to tell him shit! It's not my job to have conversations with a cannibal._ '

A devilish smirk crossed her lips as she stood from her chair. "I'm gonna go ahead and make my rounds, Barney. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Dr. Lecter stood from his desk upon hearing Sam's footsteps make their way down the hall. As Sam appeared in front of his cell, amusement flashed in his eyes upon catching a glimpse of her eye. Deciding to let her to acknowledge him first, he stood patiently, watching Sam fill out the information on her clip board.

As Sam was reviewing the information, she could feel Dr. Lecter's intense gaze watching her every move. Hurriedly, she completed her paperwork, beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable. As she turned to make her way back to the nurses' station, Dr. Lecter's voice stopped her.

"Good morning, nurse Brodie."

' _Shitshitshitshitshit_ '

Taking a breath, she turned to face him. "Good morning."

Dr. Lecter made a wincing face as he looked at Sam's eye. "My my my. What, pray tell, happened?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Sam looked down to the floor. "I walked into a door last night."

"Ah. I see. By walked, I'm sure you meant ran, correct? I doubt the force from walking into anything could cause that amount of damage."

"No, Dr. Lecter. Like I said before, I walked into a door."

Sam could have sworn she saw a glint of anger or impatience flash before his maroon eyes for a brief instance before he replaced it with the same unreadable look.

"Tsk tsk tsk. I do believe you are lying to me, nurse Brodie." The mocking tone in his voice was light and airy. Sam felt her heart rate rise, and heat flooded her neck.

Trying to calm her nervousness, Sam took a few seconds to slow her breathing. "I told you. I walked into a door. I got up in the middle of the night, didn't turn any lights on, and walked into a door. That is all."

As Sam spoke, Dr. Lecter's eyes darkened.

"I do not take lies very well, Ms. Brodie. In the past, situations have turned quiet messy when people lied to me. You would do well to remember that."

Sam felt her throat tighten. Was she just threatened by Hannibal the Cannibal? Before she had time to process this, Dr. Lecter's gaze lightened and he began to speak.

"Now then, I imagine your head hurts pretty badly from the copious amounts of alcohol you consumed last night. The remnants of the mid shelf whiskey you polished off are seeping through your pores as we speak. Is this how you handle your troubles, hmmm? By drowning them?"

He was right, her head did hurt. To add insult to injury, anger took over. Anger so strong, the injury to her eye was now throbbing along with her heart beat. How bold he is. How conniving and heartless. He had seen through her lie before she even opened her mouth to speak it, and in turn, completely destroyed her with it. "What I do in my spare time is no concern of yours. I am fine. I have everything under control." Sam hated how her voice sounded shaky and weak.

"Oh, I can see that." Dr. Lecter pointed to her injured eye. "You are the poster child of self control, it seems. Drinking away your problems will not help you, Ms. Brodie. It will only make it worse."

With a shake of her head and an exasperated sigh, Sam gave a half smirk. "As much as I appreciate your _deep_ concern, Dr. Lecter, trust me when I say this: She looked deep into his eyes, "It's none of your fucking business."

Dr. Lecter's mouth formed a silent "oh" shape before raising his eyebrows and smiling pleasantly. "Have a good day, Nurse Brodie." Turning on his heels, he showed her his back and made his way over to his bunk.

Mouth agape, Sam was stunned for a few moments. As soon as the words left her mouth moments earlier, she regretted them. Immediately she had feared that Hannibal the Cannibal would emerge; she was shocked and confused when he just smiled. The real punishment, however, came when he turned his back to her. This man didn't have to use violent force or his cutting words to hurt you; he could do it with minute gestures as well. Still angry and confused by his reaction, Sam made her way back to Barney.

When the clip board landed hard on the counter beside him, Barney looked out of the corner of his eyes to Sam.

"Is… everything alright?"

Sam let out a huff of air and ran her fingers through her dark hair, pushing it back from her face.

"I don't know how you deal with some of the inmates, Barney, I really don't. "

Barney turned in his chair to face her and smiled.

"Some of the patients are a little much at times, yes. It will get better with time. Which patient is giving you such a hard time?"

Sam fell into the chair in front of him and stretched her back. Without looking at him, she mumbled under her breath: "Dr. Lecter."

Slowly finding his gaze, she noticed his smile faded away.

"What did he say to you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"He just wants me to talk to him about myself. He wants to know about my troubles. He is very persistent in the matter."

Barney smiled a little at Sam as he stood and looked at one of the monitors to Dr. Lecter's cell. "He is a very curious person. He did the same thing to me when I first started here as well. I think it's mostly because he is bored. Or hell, it could be he really wants to help. I never did find out."

Sam had a look of curiosity on her face. "Did you ever talk to him about it?"

At this, Barney turned to face Sam again. "At first, no. I refused to be quantified and subjected to a mad mans influence… But over time, and with the help of his persistence, I slowly began to talk to him. Small things at first; guilt from cheating on a test in grade school, and on to larger burdens that I still carry with me today." Sam noticed Barney's eyes become distant.

Suddenly, Barney shook his head and looked back at Sam.

"I'm not taking sides or telling you what you should do, but I will tell you this: After all the years of speaking with Dr. Lecter, It hasn't hurt me one bit. Come to think of it, it might have actually helped me some."

Time passed in silence before Barney looked up at the clock. "It's time to make the rounds Sam. I'll go with you this time."

As the two made their way down the hall, they noticed it was quiet. Everything seemed in order, that was, until they reached the last cell on the right.

Dr. Lecter had watched as the man in the cell across from his, Travis Conners, a bi-polar schizophrenic, worked the bottom of his metal plated sink lose. Once he had a large enough piece bent towards him, Dr. Lecter watched as he started at the inside of his elbow and sliced his arm down towards the wrist. The combination of overbearing pain, and dull metal made for a messy situation with many attempts to sever the artery. Once his goal had been made, Travis leaned against the wall and waited for the darkness to take him away. The sight and smell of fresh blood caused Dr. Lecter's mouth water and his maroon eyes to flash.

"Oh fuck." Barney's eyes were wide as he tossed Sam the keys to the cell.

"Get in there and do what you can, Sam. I've got to go call this in!"

As Barney sprinted down the hall to the office, Sam unlocked the gate and ran into the cell. With no time to spare, she jumped right in. No gloves. Every instinct in her from her medical training screamed no, but there was no time. She checked for a pulse, it was next to nonexistent. Her years of training kicked in as she pulled his back from the wall and laid him on the floor. Once she got his legs close enough, they were propped on the top of his bunk to keep what little blood he had left flowing to his major organs. Taking a towel off the counter, she wrapped it around the mangled forearm. The blood seeped right through.

Dr. Lecter stood and was watching with rapt attention. Sam's movements were so unforced and natural, it was beautiful to watch. Where he had so elegantly taken life, he thought that she may very well be his equal when it came to trying to save it.

Checking his pulse again, Sam realized it was dropping still. As she positioned his head ready for CPR, her breath caught in her throat. Instead of the brown eyes that belonged to Travis Connors, Sam was staring into the green eyes of Matt Davis. In a flash, she was no longer in Baltimore, no. The smell of burning wood and gunpowder filled her nose as she realized she was back in that hospital wing in Iraq. Fear ran through her body as she began to frantically give compressions. Matt's blood soaked face rocked with the movements, as his eyes stared deathly off into space.

"C'mon, Matt! C'mon! Please, Matt, Breathe!"

*one, two, three, four- nothing*

"MATT! BREATHE!"

*One, two, three, SNAP. One rib broken*

"No… God, no! Please! Come back Matt, PLEASE! Don't leave me, PLEASE! BREATHE!"

Tears were falling from her face now as she sobbed over Matt's lifeless body. Blood was pouring from his mouth, nose and ears, mixing with the tears falling from Sam's eyes as she leaned over to embrace him.

The feeling of strong arms could be felt pulling on her, but she ignored it. Now trapped in darkness, Sam was lost to grief. Silent tears rolled down her face.

"Ms. Brodie." There was a voice in the distance, very quiet, almost an echo.

"Ms. Brodie, I want you to focus on my voice." There it was again, calling out for her, gentle and comforting.

Other sounds were now intruding. Footsteps and the sound of a large zipper. Something was rolling, a gurney, rolling the body away.

"Samantha, open your eyes and look at me." Her name sounded like a soft whisper.

As Sam opened her eyes, she was back in Baltimore. As she tried to slow her breathing, now hitched with sobs, she looked forward and saw Dr. Lecter kneeling in front of her behind the glass. He had both hands pressed against the invisible force field locking him away from the world, looking into Sam's eyes.

"Samantha, you are fine. You had a lapse earlier and it caused you to black out. Barney placed you outside of the cell so the morticians could take the body."

Ah. The body. Another soul lost on her watch.

Sam started to run her fingers through her hair when she realized her hands were sticky with blood. As she looked down, she saw her uniform was soaked as well. Immediately, her body broke out into a cold sweat as she felt the need to vomit. Leaning her head back against the cool, brick wall, she closed her eyes and swallowed hard.

Silence took over as Dr. Lecter watched her. The event that he witnessed unfold earlier left him quiet intrigued. There was a lot more to Sam than he originally expected. She lost someone very dear to her. In her arms, from what he gathered earlier. This "Matt" character was very important. He decided he would have the rest of her story.

As Sam sat with her head against the wall, she let out a dry, throaty chuckle. This caught Dr. Lecter off guard as he tilted his head slightly to the left.

"Is something amusing, Ms. Brodie?"

When Sam sat forward and met his gaze, he could see the tears were back.

"I'm sure if Chilton witnessed what just happened, he would try his best to have me in one of these cells."

Dr. Lecter smirked and gave Sam a wink. "At least I would have someone to talk to."

"He really _was_ hoping to find a reason not to hire me."

As Dr. Lecter thought about Freddy harassing Sam, a look of disgust replaced his smirk and his eyes darkened. God, how he loathed that worm of a man. His thoughts were broken as Barney approached. "Do not think you are the only person who is haunted by their past." He spoke so softly, Sam barely heard him.

She had no time to process Dr. Lecter's meaning. A gentle hand was placed on her shoulder as Barney tried to comfort her.

"Are you alright?" Barney's eyes were full of concern as he glanced over her bloody hands and uniform.

Sam nodded her head and smiled for a split second before returning her gaze back to Dr. Lecter who never took his eyes off her.

"I can promise you, Barney that this will never happen again."

"Oh, don't worry about it. Things happen." Barney gave her a reassuring smile and gently squeezed her shoulder.

As Sam struggled to stand, she caught Dr. Lecter moving forward as to try and help, but was stopped by the glass barrier. This made Sam smile inwardly. Finding her feet, Sam looked back down at her uniform and grimaced.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to clean up."

As she started down the hall, Barney called after her. "Did you bring a change of clothes?"

Sam stopped and turned to face him. "Nah. I'll just have to clean up the best I can."

"I've got some sweat pants and a tee-shirt. They will swallow you whole, but at least you won't have to leave with blood all over you."

"Yea, that sounds good, Barney. Thanks"

Barney nodded and walked down the hall, leaving Sam alone with Dr. Lecter.

"It seems Barney is quite fond of you already." Sam turned to find Dr. Lecter watching Barney depart before turning his gaze to her.

"Yes. He seems like a really nice guy. I feel comfortable working alongside him."

"He has been the closest thing to a friend a person like me could have since my incarceration. He is the only person, since I have been here, that has treated me as a human being and not the monster the world has deemed fit to label me as."

Silence passed as Sam thought about what Dr. Lecter had said before Barney appeared.

"Dr. Lecter, what did you mean when you said what you said earlier?"

He smiled and winked. "Hmm. Imagine that. Me telling you things about my personal life. One could say that it's none of your fucking business."

Sam felt that familiar sting of rejection from earlier. She really didn't mean to be that rude. Never once had she heard him use that kind of language. She felt her throat begin to constrict and tried to swallow.

"My offer still stands you know. Who knows, we could become _friends_." The mocking tone he developed helped Sam become more at ease. He wasn't mad. Thank God.

Just as Sam was about to speak, Barney appeared with the clothes. "They are clean, I promise." Sam smirked as she took the clothes.

"I believe I have worn worse." Sam looked down at her bloodied scrubs and back up to Barney, who smiled in turn.

As Sam looked at her watch, (after chipping away the dried blood) she realized it was past five. "Well gentlemen, I'm gonna change and head out."

Barney smiled and nodded. "Alright, Sam. You go home and get some rest and enjoy your weekend. I'll see you Monday." He held out a balled fist towards Sam who in turn met his fist with her own. A fist bump. A sign of friendship.

Dr. Lecter watched the exchange between the two, intrigued with the goodbye they shared.

Sam turned to Dr. Lecter, his eyes travelling to her once balled fist, to her eyes.

"Goodbye, Dr. Lecter. See you Monday."

With a slight bow and nod, Dr. Lecter watched as she walked away.

Barney stood in front of Dr. Lecter's cell watching Sam as she was leaving. Before he could follow behind, Dr. Lecter's voice stopped him.

"Barney?" Dr. Lecter was standing very close to the glass, watching Sam as Barney had just done.

"Yes, Dr. Lecter?"

"I don't think dear Dr. Chilton needs to know about what happened earlier with Ms. Brodie."

A small, all too honest smile played across Barney's lips as he took Dr. Lecter's meaning.

"I don't know what you mean. From what I saw, Sam did her job. Sadly we lost the patient, but that was no fault of hers. I think she is working out wonderfully here."

Dr. Lecter gave a small wink and took a small step back. "Thank you, Barney." An idea popped in Dr. Lecter's head as he remembered the goodbye shared between Barney and Sam earlier. With slight hesitation, Dr. Lecter put his fist up to the glass and looked at Barney.

Upon seeing Dr. Lecter's balled fist, Barney let out a small chuckle. With a smile, Barney met Dr. Lecter's fist on the opposite side of the glass with his own.


End file.
